Sunday, December 03, 2006

In response to an agreement to carry on on-line discussion with the editor(s) of the Arcata Eye under the condition of unanonymous communication, The Plazoid has brought on board a Public Relations expert. This comment was recieved by The Plazoid's new Public Relations expert, Anne Hohnermuss.

"Thank you. I would like to introduce myself. My name is Anne Hohnermuss, and I will be handling non-anonymous communications for The Plazoid publication project.

I am fully willing to carry on on-line discussion with the editor(s) of the Arcata Eye, if you are still up to it.

May I suggest a topic for the first discussion item? Perhaps we could talk about the recent 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in the case of Jones et al v Los Angeles (April 14, 2006). The decision can be found on the internet at: http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/8138B5E4723C6FE988257150005B327E/$file/0455324.pdf?openelement.

I think that a good starting point would be to talk discuss the differences in coverage of this decsion by the two news sources, the Arcata Eye and The Plazoid.

Again, I am very excited about my new job and I look forward to many wonderful discussions.

Friday, December 01, 2006

The Plazoid recently recieved an email from the Arcata Eye (newspaper) agreeing to online discussion, but not "anonymously." In an effort to reach out to our fellow Arcatans, The Plazoid has brought on board a Public Relations expert to communicate with the Arcata Eye, non-anonymously.

Please welcome The Plazoid's first and only Public Relations expert: Anne Hohnermuss

The Plazoid recently recieved an email from the Arcata Eye (newspaper) agreeing to online discussion, but not "anonymously." This condition imposed on the discussion by the editor(s) of the Arcata Eye brings to mind some questions: What's in a name? ("...that which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet...") What are the intentions behind this conditional agreement?

In response, let us look at what a "legal name" is. Many of our legal nems have been stripped of their traditional or cultural meaning and are nowadays essentially numbers. Our legal names are attached to social security numbers, phone numbers, addresses, P.O. box numbers, drivers' license numbers, IP addresses, case numbers, employee numbers, etc.

Our "names," which are essentially just numbers, exist to make it easer to keep track of us, like subjects of an experiment or inmates of a prison-system.

So why would the Arcata Eye insist on our identification numbers? Would that help them to relate to us or understand our points better?

No.

I can only think of two reasons why they might want our numbers: so they can concentrate their attention on "the messenger" while distracting attention away from "the message," or perhaps keeping track of the individuals who participate in The Plazoid project. Neither one of these intentions are welcome here.

The Arcata Eye editors are, of course, welcome to continue commenting on this blog, anonymously or not.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

The folks who make the plans for the city of Arcata are planning on destroying Hobo Field and putting in condos and a parking lot.

This sucks.

Hobo Field has long been a sort of “commons” for Arcata, providing space for people to be together and a pedestrian path away from the noxious reign of automobile traffic. It is also a refuge for wildlife that can not survive in a city environment.

Will we let this space be taken away from the people of Arcata and turned into more over-priced unaffordable housing, and yet another parking lot?

Saturday, November 11, 2006

The Plazoid recieved this letter from Tad. Tad's critical analysis of the "official" explaination of Cheri Moore's murder raises some important questions about the honesty and accountability of our local armed extention of the State.

I’ve read repetitive letters written expressing the opinion that it was the victims and their families (also victims) who were responsible for the killings by police bullets. Poor peoples around the world are constantly being told they are the reason that prisons, mental health departments, and probation departments are necessary. The truth is that our prisons are full of the poorest of our so-called civilization. African Americans are extremely over represented in the criminal justice system and extremely under represented in our society pages, making it easier for the wealthy, the wealthy media, and the campaign finance dependant politicians to blame the poor for their plight, and evidently their murders as well. But, really it boils down to: police trained to kill verses families just trying to get by doing the best they can.

Most people have heard of the “magic bullet” theory in the JFK assignation. A single bullet defying physics, created 6 wounds through a zigzag trajectory, and was then found to be in pristine condition after its journey. Did a magic bullet kill Cheri Moore on April 14, 2006? In Humboldt County, a bullet shot by 5 cowboy cops facing Cheri penetrated the back of her head with a bullet that the pathologist performing the autopsy, claims “disintegrated” – It can not be linked to any individual weapon. The weapon in question is an “assault” weapon that fires a .223 caliber bullet. At the scene of Cheri’s murder (by law enforcement) several police carried AR-15s, M-16s and .223s as testified to in the Cheri Moore Coroner’s inquest (http://www.times-standard.com/mooreinquest). Little research is required to learn that all the weapons listed above use a .223 caliber bullet.

On April 14th Cheri was shot 5 times by .223 bullets, the wall was shot two additional times, and only 5 .223 bullet casings were found. Who at the scene had such a .223 weapon? Rodriquez Sanchez (police) and Rocky Harpham (police) claimed to have had “Bernoulli 12 gage shotguns,” and Tim Jones (police) claimed to have had a “pepper ball projectile gun,” Michael Johnson (police) and Terrence Liles (police) claimed to have had an “AR-15,” - a “.223” caliber assault rifle. The five mentioned above all admitted to busting into Cheri’s home when she was killed; across the street and slightly to Cheri’s right, an observer/sniper named Robert Mengal (police) was positioned with an “M-16,” - a “.223” caliber assault rifle.

Cheri’s body was riddled with buckshot entry wounds; two groups in her chest, groups in her groin, her neck, and her armpit. Each buckshot wound entered in front and on the left side of Cheri’s body. Cheri had 5 entry wounds from a .223 - 1) the back of her head; 2) the back of her left shoulder; 3) Her left arm; 4) her left chest; and 5) her right chest. In other words, the official police version is that one police “assault” weapon shot Cheri from all possible directions, while the actual shotgun wounds, combined with all inquest testimony indicates that Cheri was facing her killers during the entire shooting.

Two wounds to Cheri’s back were .223 entry wounds one to the back of her head and the other to her right shoulder. The inquest jury did not find either of these wounds to be the absolute cause of death, but the shot to the back of Cheri’s head can’t be ruled out either. Police testimony indicated that only two officers burst in with “.223’s” – Michael Johnson and Terry Liles. Liles claimed not to have fired his gun. It defies logic that either Michael Johnson or Terry Liles could have made the shot to the back of Cheri’s head. The official police version claims Michael Johnson must have de facto shot Cheri in the back of the head because he was the only police officer, in the police S.W.A.T team, found by the police investigation, to have been officially proclaimed by the police to fire his police issued weapon!

There was another .223 involved besides the two in the room. Across the street were two “observers/snipers,” as testified by Ron Harpham. One was Ron Harpham watching thru just binoculars and the other was Robert Mengal watching thru the sights of a M-16/.223. Could Mengal shoot Cheri in the back of the head from where he was? Robert Mengal never claimed he fired his gun, yet, Robert Mengal doesn’t surrender his weapon like the “S.W.A.T.” members do, he “lock[s] it in [his] car.” Mengal declines to testify in the Cheri Moore inquest, instead the recording of his initial interview was transcribed. The transcribed interview was acted out by Jim Dawson, (chief investigator Humboldt County District Attorney’s office) as “himself” and Charles Van Buskirk, (deputy coroner with the Humboldt County Coroner's office) as “Robert Mengal.” Mengal has relocated to Idaho since the shooting and felt it too unimportant to testify. According to the official police version of the magic bullet theory he was also the one who gave the “hands free” S.W.A.T. command he knew to be the “signal” to crash thru Cheri’s door.

Van Buskirk, reciting Mengal (who had two advising lawyers during his interview), stated he saw Cheri reach out of the fourth window; spoke “north window empty hands,” heard some bangs, left the building, and locked his M-16 in his car. Mengal who was “about the same height” as Cheri, and about “35 yards” away, could see “inside her apartment.” If the testimony of the other three officers is creditable then while Johnson was watching his “laser sight” on Cheri’s ribs just prior to shooting, Mengal was “observing” the back of Cheri’s head through his rifle sights.

Matthew Kristen, criminalist with the California Department of Justice, claimed that he found two entry holes in the corner of Cheri’s apartment. Susan Comfort, a forensic pathologist, explained how .223 bullets “fragment” and don’t leave the body. Seven total .223 bullets were fired – five in Cheri’s body and two in the wall. Matthew Kristen drew circles and arrows on a floor plan of Cheri’s apartment making a little circle in the middle of the living room away from any other bullet holes or shell casings he identified. He never explains what this smaller circle signified or why he drew it, but if a fourth shooter across the street shot and missed, then that circle could be the area the bullet would strike. Judy Taylor, an evidence technician with the Eureka Police Department, never told the jury where Charles Heuer, Cheri’s landlord, found the “fifth” .223 shell casing he gave the police a few days later.

None of this is concrete evidence that there was a fourth shooter in Cheri’s death, but listening to the testimony in the coroner’s inquest conveys a story of Cheri “slumping” back from the shooters not spinning in a circle. Michael Johnson testified to seeing his “laser sights on [Cheri’s] midsection” and the “change in her eyes” just prior to shooting. Tim Jones described Cheri falling back away from the officers. Todd Wilcox (police) described, “easing Cheri forward to put handcuffs on her.” Even Ron Harpham and Michael Johnson describe Cheri as falling back away from them.

The “investigation” was poorly done. Obvious discrepancies were ignored and key witnesses were not pursued; yet, nothing can be done by the citizens of Humboldt County to discover the truth. Cops investigating cops is a BAD idea! An independent police review board is the first answer to really finding out what really happened and what we as a community can do to stop it. All police bullets should be required to be identifiable once they’re shot. And police who have a history of violence should not be on any police department’s payrolls.

As mistrust in the police department grows with every questionable death by police violence, more and more secrecy on the part of the police becomes apparent, if elected officials make excuses for their police departments, then how are we as citizens represented - more important how are we being protected? If those we elect to protect us leave us in the hands of good-ol’-boy rogue cops, then we must take initiative for our own protection. The wealthy support police eliminating “undesirable” people, but the majority, the poor, see it as an assault upon our safety. It is hard enough to deal with our children being thrown in jail and put on probation for little stupid shit (victimless crimes), but the police have become judge, jury and executioner. The time to speak out has come.

"The Plazoid is a 'zine and online blog (The Plazoid website) based out of Arcata, California that publishes articles related to homelessness, as well as issues of police brutality and social justice. The name is derived from a term used in reference to persons who hang out on the Plaza (Arcata's town square), Arcata's streets, the Arcata Community Forest and the Arcata Marsh. The Plazoid uses the term "unhoused" rather than homeless, due to a belief that the word "homeless" is used derogatorily. Since the spring of 2005 the Plazoid publishes and distributes a print version in the city of Arcata. The Plazoid has been, alegedly, hostile to The Arcata Eye, its pages often referring to the paper as the Arcata LEye. However, according to Kevin Hoover, the Eye has allegedly given the print version of the 'zine free advertising. Plazoid supporters say that the Plazoid never gave permission for this "free advertising" and assume it to be more anti-homeless propaganda. Hoover has allegedly also censored many letters from homeless and nonhomeless readers alike."

Wow, how controversial!!!

There is more! If you google "plazoid," you get this interesting dialogue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Mediation_Cabal/Cases/2006-02-11_Arcata_Eye_Plazoid, including this little gem: "The nature of the POV is such: all of its focused either "against" (the IPs) or "for" (me: in that I'm not against) the newspaper publication the Arcata Eye. Some neccessary history: an online and print 'zine called the Plazoid was created in reaction to the Arcata Eye's aritcles and editorials. This controversy is explained, I hope fairly, on the Eye page. I believe that the IPs are either two of the writers who publish the Plazoid, or very close friends (others have suspected this as well, see comments about 1/3 down the page on Talk: Arcata, California). Thus, I believe they have a vested interest in pushing the POV that they do." and "Please investigate discreetly, I'm afraid my report of this will only inflame matters if known."

In the culture and institutions section, 2nd paragraph, it says:Work in Arcata consists largely of the dumpster-diving...Dumpster-diving obviously isn't "work" in the usual sense, as in employment. Perhaps this should be rewritten and expanded to include details on the unemployment and homeless, as well as high occurance of dumpster-diving. Jrouvier 01:18, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

Dumpster-diving *is* work in the usual sense, as in employment.

I disagree. Usual employment includes a employer and an employee. The employer expects the employee to conduct some work for some amount of compensation, usually money. Since a dumpster-diver does not have an employer, this is not employment, but it might be called an occupation. However, this is all beside the point. The real point of this that at the very begining of the paragraph dealing with employment, dumpster-diving is listed as the first item. This is leads the reader to the conclusion that most people in Arcata are unemployed and spend their days sifting through others trash. While I agree that Arcata may have a higher rate of dumpster-diving than many other US cities, it is my no means what the majority do on a daily basis. I have no objection to the inclusion of a note about dumpster-diving, but feel that it should be in it's correct context (unemployment), and backed by factual data. Jrouvier 01:18, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

Sorry, friend, but that is bullshit. What about the "self-employed"? I do not think that your paradigm of master-to-slave relationship is dominant in Arcata ("prevalant" maybe, but not dominant).

The 3rd paragraph is:The city is dis-served by a weekly tabloid, the Arcata Eye. The newspaper is noted for its bigoted use of police reports to instigate violence against unhoused people while profiting from the entertainment value of sensationalized hate-mongering. In response, an independent publication, the Plazoid started to document civil and human rights abuses perpetrated against the unhoused.

Use of the word "dis-served" isn't really appropriate here as it is an opinion of the author which may or may not be a majority opinion. The "dis" part should probably be removed. Additionally, if the paper is, in fact, noted for it's bigoted police reports, can someone provide links to the notes? Jrouvier 01:18, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

Use of the word "mis-served" is really appropriate here as it is a majority opinion. The "mis" part should probably be capitalized. Additionally, the paper is, in fact, noted for it's bigoted police reports, and it was disappointing to see the Arcata Eye use Wikipedia to advertise its un-journalistic atrocity.

The Wikipedia:NPOV page, says assert facts, including facts about opinions — but don't assert opinions themselves. There is a publication called the Arcata Eye, it's articles are written for and about Arcata, it is printed on newsprint, I am unaware of it's dimensions. Hence I feel that the statment "The city is served by a weekly newspaper, the Arcata Eye" is factual. However, use of the word "mis-served" (or "dis-served") is an assertation of on opinion. One may assert that there *is* an opinion, but one should not assert that the opinion is correct or incorrect. Finally, this is a page about Arcata the city, not about the Arcata Eye publication. It should be enough to state that the newspaper exists. Discussions about the newspaper and allegations of bias, might be best placed on a page about the newspaper itself, such as has been done for the NY_TimesJrouvier 01:18, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

Sorry, friend, but if you think that the word "served" is nuetral, then you need to check your free on-line dictionary. The Arcata [L]Eye has done a great MISservice to the people of Arcata with its blatant hate-mongering and purposeful distortion of fact to misrepresent targeted residents of Arcata.

Then you don't use served OR disserved (I have changed the entry to use neither). Wikipedia is supposed to be neutral, an encyclopedia, if you will, not a soapbox. Also, I've never heard of the Plazoid. Is it well-known enough to deserve mention? -Reisen

Upon second look, given the fact that you not only ext-linked the Plazoid, but that you spelled out the URL in the article, makes me think that perhaps you own the Plazoid and you are trying to hype it. That is not what Wikipedia is for, and it would certainly explain why in 18 years of Arcata life I've never heard of the Plazoid. The Plazoid is not a major part, or even noticable part, of Arcata life, and its mention shall be removed. It would, however, work fine to mention the Plazoid on a dedicated Arcata Eye page.

I appreciate the edits you have made to the main page (I myself am new to this and don't really know how to do things the "proper" way), however, I do have qualms. You obviously are allowing the Arcata Eye FREE ADVERTISING at this website, which, as you pointed out, is NOT the purpose of Wikipedia, especially given the questionable nature of the content of the Eye. As for the Plazoid (publication, name derived from slanderous term used in the Arcata Eye to disparage unhoused people and encourage violent acts against them), I am surprised that you have not heard of it or read an issue. It is almost always available at the Arcata Co-op, Solutions, and other places. It is only up to about issue number 8 (monthly), but the blogspot has had plenty of comments on it from Arcatans (one post had 42 posts!). Have you heard of the Humboldt Advocate? also a relatively new publication in Arcata. Why does the Arcata Eye deserve FREE ADVERTISING while any mention of these other publications are edited from this website?

The Arcata Eye deserves mention because it is a major Arcata publication. If I were writing a Eureka article, the Times Standard, the Lumberjack (blegh), (and the Tri-City Weekly, blegh blegh) would all deserve mention because they are well-known and generally worth mentioning along with any detailed explanation of the city. It's not advertising, it's worthwhile information. Now, if I mentioned the Eye without mentioning a publication of equal prevalence in the community, that would be incorrect. But the Eye and the Plazoid are really not comparable in popularity nor in knowledge of their existence. The Plazoid, it seems, exists mainly as a reaction to the Eye. Thus, it would be a perfect inclusion on an Eye-only page, but makes no sense on the Arcata one. -Reisen

I disagree. On Monday nights, the night before the new issue of the Arcat Eye comes out, look at the Eye vendboxes: THEY ARE FULL! Just because the Eye is well-funded and can afford to create volumous waste doesn't make it a "major publication." Look for a moment at the "letters to the editor" section. The Plazoid gets more comments at the blogspot than the Eye gets letters to the editor, and thus is MORE interactive with Arcatan than the Eye. ASK AROUND! I'll bet you find that alot of people have atleast heard of the Plazoid. Also check out the blogspot yourself (theplazoid.blogspot.com). There DEFINITELY is "WORTHWHILE INFORMATION" at the blogspot, complete with sources citations. Contrast that with the non-informative opinionated "stories" of the Arcata Eye. I don't think that the Arcat Eye reports "worthwhile information," or at least not at all ACCURATELY. But, yes, Hoover is well-funded (by advertisers, not interested paying customers!). So if you think that the amount of money behind the publication is more important than the content of the publication, then by all means, go ahead and mention the Arcata Eye. But don't edit out the Plazoid just because it isn't heavily funded."

ok ok ok....there is much more, too much more.At any rate, it looks like the PLAZOID lost this battle. Oh well. Let me know what you think. Maybe someone can start a new Plazoid entry?

Ironically, Hoover insinuates that Griz the dog also shares in this celebration of bigotry, inspite of the fact that this particular form of bigotry could spell his doom. Griz has never expressed any elation that might support Hoover's ridiculous assertations.

Unsurprisingly, Hoover has used his "newspaper" to distort reality and attempt to rile up more classist bigotry against local activist, tad.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

“It is worth saying something about the social position of beggars, for when one has consorted with them, and found that they are ordinary human beings, one cannot help being struck by the curious attitude that society takes towards them. People seem to feel that there is some essential difference between beggars and ordinary ‘working’ men. They are a race apart—outcasts, like criminals and prostitutes. Working men ‘work’, beggars do not ‘work’; they are parasites, worthless in their very nature. It is taken for granted that a beggar does not ‘earn’ his living, as a bricklayer or a literary critic ‘earns’ his. He is a mere social excrescence, tolerated because we live in a humane age, but essentially despicable.

Yet if one looks closely one sees that there is no essential difference between a beggar’s livelihood and that of numberless respectable people. Beggars do not work, it is said; but, then, what is work? A navvy works by swinging a pick. An accountant works by adding up figures. A beggar works by standing out of doors in all weathers and getting varicose veins, chronic bronchitis, etc. It is a trade like any other; quite useless, of course—but, then, many reputable trades are quite useless. And as a social type a beggar compares well with scores of others. He is honest compared with the sellers of most patent medicines, high-minded compared with a Sunday newspaper proprietor, amiable compared with a hire-purchase tout—in short, a parasite, but a fairly harmless parasite. He seldom extracts more than a bare living from the community, and, what should justify him according to our ethical ideas, he pays for it over and over in suffering. I do not think there is anything about a beggar that sets him in a different class from other people, or gives most modern men the right to despise him.

Then the question arises, Why are beggars despised?—for they are despised, universally. I believe it is for the simple reason that they fail to earn a decent living. In practice nobody cares whether work is useful or useless, productive or parasitic; the sole thing demanded is that it shall be profitable. In all the modern talk about energy, efficiency, social service and the rest of it, what meaning is there except ‘Get money, get it legally, and get a lot of it’? Money has become the grand test of virtue. By this test beggars fail, and for this they are despised. If one could earn even ten pounds a week at begging, it would become a respectable profession immediately. A beggar, looked at realistically, is simply a businessman, getting his living, like other businessmen, in the way that comes to hand. He has not, more than most modern people, sold his honour; he has merely made the mistake of choosing a trade at which it is impossible to grow rich.”

“The most important story about Eli Lilly is that Lilly’s two current blockbuster psychiatric drugs—Zyprexa and Prozac—are, in scientific terms, of little value. It is also about how Lilly and the rest of Big Pharma have corrupted psychiatry, resulting in the increasing medicalization of unhappiness. This diseasing of our malaise has diverted us from examining the social sources for our unhappiness—and implementing societal solutions.” Eli Lilly, Zyprexa, & the Bush Familyhttp://zmagsite.zmag.org/May2004/levine0504.htmlBruce E. Levine, PhD, is a psychologist and author of Commonsense Rebellion: Taking Back Your Life from Drugs, Shrinks, Corporations and a World Gone Crazy (New York-London: Continuum, 2003).

Allen Jones, who worked as an investigator in the Pennsylvania Office of the Inspector General (OIG), gained widespread attention as a 'whistleblower' after voicing concerns about attempts by the pharmaceutical industry to implement a mental health screening plan, based on the controversial Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP), in Pennsylvania.

Jones was escorted out of his workplace on April 28, 2004, after OIG officials accused him of talking to the press. Jones was relieved of his duties because he breached OIG guidelines that no worker may report confidential data. Jones indicates he chose to disclose his findings to the press precisely because of corrupt behavior by OIG officials themselves, alleging the OIG's policy was "unconstitutional."

Jones further alleged, in a wrongful termination suit, OIG officials had sought to "coverup, discourage, and limit any investigations or oversight into the corrupt practices of large drug companies and corrupt public officials who have acted with them." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Jones_(whistleblower)

Study Finds a Link of Drug Makers to PsychiatristsNew York TimesApril 20, 2006

“More than half the psychiatrists who took part in developing a widely used diagnostic manual for mental disorders had financial ties to drug companies before or after the manual was published, public health researchers reported yesterday.”

“In recent years, critics have said that the manual has become too expansive, including diagnoses, like social phobia, that they say appear tailor-made to create a market for antidepressants or other drugs.”

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuitruled on April 14, 2006, that punishing homeless people for sleeping, sitting or lying on sidewalks and other public property when other shelter is not available was unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment.(Edward Jones v. City of Los Angeles)“Appeals Court Slaps L.A. Over Arrests of Homeless”

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

"federal appeals court panel ruled on Friday that arresting homeless people for sleeping, sitting or lying on sidewalks and other public property when other shelter is not available was cruel and unusual punishment."New York Times April 15

Sleep is a human necessity, not a luxury or privilege. This ordinance prohibits sleeping outdoors in Arcata, thereby punishing the homeless with sleep deprivation. This violates the EIGHTH AMENDMENT to the U.S. Constitution which guarantees us freedom from “cruel and unusual punishment.”

Monday, March 20, 2006

Saturday, March 04, 2006

WHAT THE HELL wasPresident of Humboldt State UniversityROLLIN RICHMONDUSING COCAINE and MICE for?

“Over the course of more than 20 years beginning in 1972, his studies - funded largely by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health - led him to explore the "genetic origins of reproductive isolation," the reproductive behavior of fruit flies, neurotoxins and cocaine in mice, and the resistance of fruit flies to malathion.”

MALATHION is an organophosphate (OP) compound.During World War II, under the NAZI regime, teams led by Dr. Gerhard Schraderdiscovered four organophosphate NERVE AGENTS, including sarin.

http://www.washingtonpost.com NEW DELHI, Feb. 4 -- A parliamentary committee on Wednesday upheld findings by an environmental group that drinks made in India by PepsiCo Inc. and Coca-Cola Co. contained unacceptable amounts of pesticide residue… soda made by the two American companies contained high levels of four extremely toxic pesticides: lindane, DDT, MALATHION and chlorpyrifos. The group said these pesticides could damage the human nervous system

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

“The second premise of Prussian schooling [which the United States subsequently borrowed] is that intellectual training is not the purpose of state schooling - obedience and subordination are. In fact, intellectual training will invariably subvert obedience unless it is rigidly controlled and doled out as a reward for obedience. If the will could be broken all else would follow.”

Twenty-six years of award-winning teaching have led John Gatto to some troubling conclusions about the public schools.

A seventh-grade teacher, Gatto has been named New York City Teacher of the Year and New York State Teacher of the Year. Praised by leaders as diverse as Ronald Reagan and Mario Cuomo, he's a political maverick whose views defy easy categorization.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Critical Mass is a worldwide movement to promote the use of bicycles as a viable means of transportation. It has arisen in response to what many call the “car-culture:” an overdependence on the private automobile. It is, more than anything else, a reclaimation of space, a demonstration to show that the city belongs to people and not machines.How did it get started? It started in August 1992 in San Francisco when a group of bicycle commuters decided to ride home together.

Why is it called “Critical Mass?”

The name “Critical Mass” comes from Ted White’s bike-umentary Return of the Scorcher. This video shows intersection crossing etiquette in China’s big cities. Cross bike-traffic waits until it has enough riders, i.e., a critical mass, to push its way through the intersection. The strength of the Mass is in its close-knit unity as an organic body. It is sometimes necessary to ride through traffic lights in order to maintain this unity. It is actually safer. Otherwise, car traffic is tempted to weave in and out among small groups of riders.http://www.critical-mass.org/A rally was held on Nov.2 in Eureka California in solidarity with other rallies nationwide in opposition to the Bush regime. Critical Mass bicycle riders left Arcata to ride to Eureka on the highway (7miles) and found the California Highway Patrol waiting for them. The CHP stopped all traffic on the highway (critical mass left one lane open on the 2 lane in each direction divided highway) and attacked bicyclists, injuring and arresting several.A police helicopter circled overhead for the duration of the ride.

IBM and the Holocaust is the stunning story of IBM's strategic alliance with Nazi Germany -- beginning in 1933 in the first weeks that Hitler came to power and continuing well into World War II. As the Third Reich embarked upon its plan of conquest and genocide, IBM and its subsidiaries helped create enabling technologies, step-by-step, from the identification and cataloging programs of the 1930s to the selections of the 1940s.

Only after Jews were identified -- a massive and complex task that Hitler wanted done immediately -- could they be targeted for efficient asset confiscation, ghettoization, deportation, enslaved labor, and, ultimately, annihilation. It was a cross-tabulation and organizational challenge so monumental, it called for a computer. Of course, in the 1930s no computer existed.

But IBM's Hollerith punch card technology did exist. Aided by the company's custom-designed and constantly updated Hollerith systems, Hitler was able to automate his persecution of the Jews. Historians have always been amazed at the speed and accuracy with which the Nazis were able to identify and locate European Jewry. Until now, the pieces of this puzzle have never been fully assembled. The fact is, IBM technology was used to organize nearly everything in Germany and then Nazi Europe, from the identification of the Jews in censuses, registrations, and ancestral tracing programs to the running of railroads and organizing of concentration camp slave labor.

IBM and its German subsidiary custom-designed complex solutions, one by one, anticipating the Reich's needs. They did not merely sell the machines and walk away. Instead, IBM leased these machines for high fees and became the sole source of the billions of punch cards Hitler needed.IBM and the Holocaust takes you through the carefully crafted corporate collusion with the Third Reich, as well as the structured deniability of oral agreements, undated letters, and the Geneva intermediaries -- all undertaken as the newspapers blazed with accounts of persecution and destruction.

IBM founder Thomas Watson cooperated with the Nazis for the sake of profit. Only with IBM's technologic assistance was Hitler able to achieve the staggering numbers of the Holocaust.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

The original post about the North Coast Journal article was removed by an editor of this blog because somebody posted a link to a yucky website in the "comments" section and I don't know how to get rid of it. So I reposted the post and also reposted the comments here."comment moderation" has also been "enabled."Sorry for any inconvenience.

noel adamson said...YOU not "YUO", FAGGOT not "FAGOT" and this blog does not suck regardless of it's author's sexual orientation. Or yours.On topic, I only found this site because of the NCJ's article and checked it out because of their negative slant, a good reccomendation.Sunday, January 29, 2006 2:41:47 PM

Hank's heads above Hoover. Hoover would never do an expose on local blogs because he'd be too worried they'd expose him for the shitbag he trully is.Sunday, January 29, 2006 10:36:42 PM

Anonymous said...I saw an advertisement for The Plazoid in the Arcata Eye -- donated by the newspaper! Hated, huh? The Eye has a funny way of demonstrating its hatred.Monday, January 30, 2006 7:18:08 AM

the PLAZOID said...hey, we here at the Plazoid would love to see the "advertisement," which was not ok'd by anyone I know. I haven't seen it, no one I know has seen it, and I am suspicious. Yes, Kevin Hoover makes money (maybe) selling newspapers and police-log books (?), but I have not seen an "advertisement."Which issue and pgae number - I'll find it - thanks.Wednesday, February 01, 2006 4:26:10 PM

The North Coast Urinal's scimpy coverage of theplazoid.blogspot.com has me wondering if Hank actually took anytime to look at the blog that he was writing about.Tad has very few postings on the blog, but is mentioned right away, after the "schwag" comment. It seems that some people would like to believe (and lead others to believe) that Tad is the only one who holds these opinions. What a spin-job.Then there's the thing about the chamber of commerce - is the chamber of commerce ever even mentioned on this blog?Totally absent from Hank's article is any mention of the documentation of police misconduct on the blog. Remember the "taser incident"? The Plazoid covered it before the Arcata LEye, the North Coast Urinal, or any other media that I am aware of.Other documented incidents of abuse by the police that are recorded on the blog aren't even covered at all anywhere else.Also missing was the coverage of the Homeless Task Force meetings. Without The Plazoid, the Arcata public had only Kevin Hoover's extremely biased coverage to rely on.And TOTALLY absent was any mention of the PRINT version of the Plazoid! The zine started in print and only went online as an afterthought - to make the documentation more widely available.Also, the Plazoid is not only about homelessness issues. Jeez. Thanks for the pigeon-holing, dude. What about the tasers? Or the HSU issues? Or the pharmacueticals information? Anyhow, it was nice to see the blogspot mentioned in print.

Thursday, January 26, 2006

On Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day a pregnant woman who is past her due date was arrested by the Arcata Police Department and held in Jail.

The Arcata Police Department arrested a pregnant woman who is past her due date to give birth. She was arrested for allegedly missing a court date. She would have been forced to give birth while being held at the jail if she had gone into labor in the jail cell.

Earlier in her pregnancy, the same woman had been thrown to the ground by an Arcata police officer as part of this city's overzealous efforts against those percieved as "homeless."

Incredibly, at her arraignment in front of the judge the overzealous District Attorney/ Prosecuter demanded that she should be kept in jail, demanding that she give birth while in the custody of the Humbolt County Jail, as a punishment for missing an infraction court date by a few minutes.

This raises the question of: Whether someone who seeks to force a baby to be born into a jail cell is qualified to prosecute child abuse cases? Does the city council take any responsibility for endangering the imminent life of this child?

A community effort was put into effect when her family and friends attempted to give the urgent message to the police and the court system to free her from jail. The police said nothing could be done until her arraignment. More than 24 hours past before the arraignment and then another six hours of waiting to be released to her family and friends.

P.S. The original alleged offense, stemming from an incident in which the cops shot a taser stun-gun at the puppy that the woman was caring for at the time, was that she allegedly assaulted an officer. The cops put her in wrist constraints that were so tight that they left a mark on her wrists that was there for days and was documented by Arcata copwatch volunteers.

Sunday, January 15, 2006

If distributed equally, the world produces enough food to feed everyone. There is an abundance of food. In fact, in this country, every day, in every city, far more edible food is discarded than is needed to feed those who do not have enough to eat.

The reason this is not already happening is no accident. We do not have a democratic say in how food is produced or distributed. People would certainly elect to eat. In hierarchical economies, the threat of the loss of a job allows owners to keep wages low. An underclass is the result of policies which encourage domination and violence. In our society, it is acceptable to profit from other people's suffering and misery.

Poverty is violence. One expression of the violence of poverty is hunger. Millions of Americans, almost half children, go hungry every day and childhood malnutrition contributes heavily to infant mortality rates, which are higher in parts of the U.S. than in most other nations of the world. By spending money on bombs instead of food, our government perpetuates and exacerbates the violence of poverty by failing to provide food for everyone in need. Food Not Bombs has chosen to take a stand against violence. We are committed to nonviolent social change by giving out free vegetarian food thus celebrating and nurturing life.

Food Not Bombs was recently approached and asked to cook at the Arcata Endeavor on Saturdays where there is plenty of food that would otherwise go unprepared and unserved on weekends. This is in addition to FNB’s meals served throughout the week that are cooked in the homes of volunteers. It was discussed and decided that it would be tried.

For several months now, there has been healthy vegetarian food served at 1:00 pm on Saturdays at the Endeavor (at no extra cost to taxpayers), and there are still enough volunteers to prepare and serve dinner at 5:30 pm on the plaza. Many of the volunteers now cooking lunch at the Endeavor on Saturdays were not previously affiliated with Food Not Bombs.

These events make clear that the facilities exist for those in need to be given the opportunity to help themselves. Instead of acquiring large sums of money to study the obvious lack of basic necessities, and spending lots of money hiring people who reinforce the separations between service providers and service recipients, Arcata could allow the already existing facilities to be used by those who are willing to volunteer to provide services to themselves and others. The costs of operation (utilities, supplies) could be covered by the money saved.

Not only would this less-hierarchical approach save money, and time spent to acquire that money, but it would also set an example of this historically tested and trusted method of social planning that involves less professional authoritarianism, and the actual meeting of more needs. The D Street Neighborhood Center is a perfect place to open up. Currently is sits locked and empty most of the time.

The direct action of preparing and sharing meals helps to relieve some of the pressures that create tensions in our community. Healthy and nutritious meals provide relief from the immediate discomfort and anxiety of being hungry, and prevent the long-term negative effects of malnutrition. For those overwhelmed by the cost of living in today’s society, FNB’s free meals provide relief from the competition for ever more scarce dollars.

Preparing meals together is a good way to engage our innate ability to get along and work cooperatively to meet our common needs. By addressing the issue of hunger directly, FNB also demonstrates our ability to solve community problems from within the community.

In the Mental Health Services Act Community Support and Services Plan put out by the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services Mental Health Branch, the claim is made that:“among the estimated 2000 homeless adults, 80% of homeless adults suffer mental health issues; 90% suffer substance abuse.” (page 35)

The overlap (“co-occurrence”) of “mental health issues” and “substance abuse” is estimated at 4% in the MHSAA CSS Plan.

This would mean that 76.8% of homeless adults have “mental health issues” exclusively, 86.8% of homeless adults have “substance abuse” exclusively, and 3.2% of homeless adults have “co-occurring” “mental health issues” and “substance abuse.”

These numbers exceed 100% greatly, and thus are impossible!

Even if we use the estimate of 50% “co-occurring” “mental health issues” and “substance abuse” that is asserted in the “Blueprint for Change: Ending Chronic Homelessness for Persons with Serious Mental Illnesses and/or Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorder” (US Dept. of Health and Human Services), we STILL get numbers greater than 100%!!! (40% exclusively “mental health issues,” 50% exclusively “substance abuse,” and 40% having both.)

San Diego’s Police-Based Outreach TeamsSan Diego city has two innovative outreach programs developed by and located in the San Diego Police Department—the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) and the Serial Inebriate Program (SIP).

HOT combines a police officer, a mental health worker, and a benefits eligibility technician in outreach teams operating during the day and evening hours to engage mentally ill street people and connect them to services.

Because they combine police and mental health expertise and authority, they are the only outreach teams on the streets that have the ability to remove people either voluntarily or involuntarily, in addition to building rapport and making referrals.

SIP comes into play for chronic inebriates who do not voluntarily accept treatment. SIP is a collaboration of four city and five county agencies, including law enforcement, the city attorney’s office, the public defender, the Superior Court, health care, and homeless agencies working as a team in a court context. Mental Health System, Inc. is contracted to coordinate the program. SIP follows the Drug Court model in offering addicts a choice of jail or treatment, after assuring that the community was willing to pay for treatment if requested. SIP’s focus is on chronic alcoholics who populate the downtown streets of San Diego. Police officers arrest chronic street alcoholics for public drunkenness, and bring them to jail and subsequently to court. Once arraigned, caseworkers approach each person, conduct assessments, and offer treatment plus transitional housing as an alternative to six months in jail (the maximum allowed under California state law) to those who pass the assessment. Many people eventually accept the offer, although they may first serve a full jail sentence or even two before they are convinced to try.

FROM:The North Coast Journal Weekly (Arcata)http://www.northcoastjournal.com/111005/cover1110.htmlJudge Feeney, who presides in Humboldt County Superior Court, Courtoom 8, was born and raised in San Diego and says he has "been admiring their homeless court from afar for years."In September, he went down to San Diego to observe a homeless court. "I was impressed," he says."Many homeless people have substance abuse issues and mental illness, and for those people it's more complicated," he says.“…some infractions and misdemeanors might stem from the condition of being homeless, says Steve Binder, a deputy public defender in San Diego who co-founded the nation's first homeless court, in San Diego County in 1989."They (“crimes” of the homeless) are the result of their being homeless. They might be 'sleeping in public' or 'drinking in public' or 'peeing in public' -- things we do in the privacy of our homes, they do outside because they have no other options. Additionally, you'll find petty thefts [of food], because people might be looking to survive. Or you'll find people doing drugs, whether it is a way of self-medicating or just a way of surviving on the street. We're not trying to condone that."

The "chronic homelessness" initiative is a campaign to target federal, state, and local homeless assistance and other resources to people who meet the definition of "chronic homelessness."

What is the Federal Definition of "Chronic Homelessness?"

from “Ending Chronic Homelessness: Strategies for Action” U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesReport from the Secretary’s Work Group on Ending Chronic Homelessness, March 2003.http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/homelessness/strategies03/ch.htm#ch2The definition of “chronic homeless”:HHS, HUD, and VA have agreed on the characteristics of persons experiencing chronic homelessness and use the following definition in their collaborations:An unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or has had at least four (4) episodes of homelessness in the past three (3) years.

By definition, the "chronic homelessness" initiative excludes the following groups of people:CHILDREN (with disabilities and without disabilities) who are homeless with their parents;PARENTS (with disabilities and without disabilities) who are homeless and who have children with them;YOUTH on their own with disabilities who have not been homeless long enough to fit the federal definition;YOUTH on their own without disabilities;unaccompanied individuals with disabilities who have not been homeless long enough to fit the federal definition;unaccompanied individuals without disabilities; andunaccompanied individuals who are unwilling to be declared disabled.Press releases, plans to end homelessness, and news articles are using the terms "chronic homelessness" and "homelessness" interchangeably, as though they were one and the same. In this collapsing of categories, all people experiencing homelessness are either pathologized or made invisible.

The "chronic homelessness" initiative fails to address the ROOTof the problem, POVERTY, and the affordable housing crisis that underlie homelessness for all populations. To separate homelessness from poverty and housing is fundamentally to distort its causes.